Hey guys, so I had originally done this process over this past summer but wanted to post this thread and see if I could show an example of my truck done and answer any questions people might have about the product/process.

For those of you that don't know, Plasti Dip is a rubber like coating that comes in a variety of colors, metallics, finishes, and what not that can be thinned out and be applied to really just about anything, similar to standard automotive paint. This color is my custom blend of matte finish Antique Silver Metallic. It also comes in gloss, satin, etc.

The benefit of this stuff is that it's durable, cheap, looks great if you take your time just like any other paint, and above all, it is removable like a vinyl wrap when you are tired of the color or want a different look. Beneficial for me since it's my daily driver and it looks good without having to worry about someone at the university hurting an expensive paint job.

That's all the detail I will go into in this first post in case anyone really doesn't care But feel free to post any questions or comments and I'll be happy to answer them for you. Just trying to spread the info and provide info for anyone interested.

Here's a few pics, pardon the load in the bed. Plus my girlfriend always has to grab a pic in it after driving it hard in the desert

Get out and drive the truck this summer and have some fun!
It sucks not being able to hear!LWB trucks rule, if you don't think so measure your SWB!After talking to tech support at Air Lift I have found out that the kit I need is 60811. Per the measurements I gave them. Ride height of truck inside spring and inside diameter of springs.

sawthis product on a you tube video. do you have any samples of the metal flake ? was thinking od flaking the roof of my truck. with plasti dip it gives me a chance to make sure i want it done permament.

looks good. how does it seal against the elements? will it cause more issues (rust bubbles underneath) id left on for a long time? i was told that wraps are very difficult to remove and advised on not wrapping my truck

Alright, awesome, we have interest. I'll kind of break these into separate posts as they come. To start us off,

Cost and Application

So the benefit, as I mentioned, of this product is cost. I'm going to start off by posting the link to a company's website: https://www.dipyourcar.com/

I would coin these guys with truly turning the product known as Plasti Dip into an automotive goldmine. They, and their forum, are a great resource for all things "Dip". Now I believe that Plasti Dip targets DIY'ers and guys (and gals of course) who like to do things themselves, so they offer their "Pro Car Kit" that comes in a variety of included color's and amounts of each. For a larger vehicle with a standard color (black, red, etc) I would probably look towards their 5 gallon kit. This not only includes the paint, but an airless hvlp sprayer, masking tape, paper, mixing wand, cleaner, basically everything you need to spray a vehicle.

Cost for their largest kit: $435.00 USD, but don't stop reading yet.

That price is truly what grabbed my attention, even if I just wanted to experiment with it. I don't truly know exactly how many gallons of their dip it takes to do a vehicle such as ours since I went a different route, which I will explain in a bit. But for a kit that is supposed to cover a large truck/SUV, I believe that is a good starting point.

Now I did it differently. I wanted something a bit different and that's where Plasti Dip's flexibility comes in. I bought clear Plasti Dip, unthinned (DipYourCar sells it prethinned 50/50 with a thinner mix) from http://www.awarehousefull.com/ and thinned it myself 50/50 with Naptha (bought at Home Depot). I then mixed Antique Silver Metallic pigment into the clear until I reached my desired look (This is where DipYourCar's forum came in). I also bought the sprayer separately. Doing it this way I saved a great deal of money while still ending up with more dip than if I had bought the kit. However, If you aren't feeling that adventurous, their kits are great as well.

As a side note, because the pigment I used was not completely opaque, and I had different shades of contrasting primer on the truck throughout, it took me several more coats and a couple more gallons than if you were to do a standard solid color. Just something to keep in mind if you want a custom metallic color.

Application is similar to standard paint. It can be applied with a normal HVLP, compressor driven gun as well. The key is to lay it on light, for the first couple of layers, then more thick as you go to let it flow and even out. It takes several coats for complete coverage, probably a minimum of 5-6 for a specific reason. The thicker you put it on (within reason), the tougher it is, and the easier it is to peel off in one piece if and when you so choose to.

As a disclaimer, I'm not an expert in this stuff and don't claim to be. But I have found it to be a great product with a great supporting community behind it.

sawthis product on a you tube video. do you have any samples of the metal flake ? was thinking od flaking the roof of my truck. with plasti dip it gives me a chance to make sure i want it done permament.

As I said in my application post, and as I did, you could take clear dip, thin it yourself, or buy it prethinned, mix your metallic in to the desired concentration, and spray. The worst that could happen is you don't like it and just peel it off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hopped up

looks good. how does it seal against the elements? will it cause more issues (rust bubbles underneath) id left on for a long time? i was told that wraps are very difficult to remove and advised on not wrapping my truck

Plasti Dip completely seals out any moisture from the underlying material. It was designed as a coating for handles of tools and what not. Rust does ideally need to be taken care of before application, but as long as that is done, no moisture will penetrate the Dip itself. It is actually relatively easy to remove, but will not come off on its own. I had a iffy primer job that the last owner had done, yet on my test area it didn't come off at all once peeled off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I never would have thought of Idaho having deserts, so I googled it. Weird.

Cool truck. 67's are the best

Haha, yes we do. Contrary to popular belief, most of us aren't actually pig and potato farmers up here. Our landscape varies quite a bit (as does our weather, but that's a rant for another day) from rolling green fields to dry desert.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy4639

More info on both! Lol..... Truck and girlfriend.
She has to be cool she likes these old trucks!

She is definitely something special and always loves going for a ride in the truck. She even insisted in going to the senior high school prom in it. No complaints there

I see you had it out in the desert.... how does this stuff hold up to road grime? What happens if a rock chips it? I can just imagine getting a chip in this and then the air working its way under it. Ive never seen the product in person though so I have no clue

I see you had it out in the desert.... how does this stuff hold up to road grime? What happens if a rock chips it? I can just imagine getting a chip in this and then the air working its way under it. Ive never seen the product in person though so I have no clue

Good question, yes I have had it out in the desert, and it is my daily driver, so it sees quite a bit of abuse. With this being said, I have found no damage on the paint caused by rocks or other similar material. While this stuff does dry solid and feels like paint, it is still flexible and therefore very resistant to rocks. If they do hit, it doesn't actually chip, rather it may create a small tear in it (hasn't happened to me). Plasti Dip holds on to the base material very well so I personally wouldn't be worried about it bubbling up. However if it does, what you can do is the following: Clean the area with diluted down isopropyl alcohol, cut out the small section that is bubbled, use thinner on your finger to feather the edges of the dip still on the vehicle around the imperfection, and respray dip over top of it. I've never had to do this though, and haven't ran into the problem.

A lot of people, probably the vast majority, actually use this on wheels to recolor them. That would be a high abuse area, and from what I've seen, it even holds up very well there.

I have a couple of questions for you,
how is the finish? smooth or slightly textured? and does it clean well?

The finish depends on how it is applied. This was my first time using it, and also keep in mind that it is a matte finish. So yes, it does have a slight texture to it, more so than a factory orange peel paint job. However, it still has a smooth feel. But with practice, heavier coats, and using a Dip gloss clear over top, one is supposed to be able to achieve a very smooth finish.

Clean-ability also depends on the finish, as well as the color. A matte finish, just like a matte paint, will tend to be a bit harder to clean. This is usually only noticeable on really bright colors though, like white. This silver is a fairly mid-tone color, and I have yet to have something that didn't come off with a basic washing. For matte white, the community seems to say that it is a bit more susceptible to staining, and recommends a Plasti Dip satin or gloss clear coat to ensure easy removal of contaminants.

Dude!!! I love that you did this. I have wanted to dip a car for a long time and I've also wondered how it would do on one of these trucks. The first truck I looked at buying was 2 different colors and I thought that'd be a perfect dip truck.

Dip is great... Both mine... the red still needed two more coats to complete at this point. Its durable, washable and looks cool. You can buy the expensive kits for other colors, or just buy rattle cans and spray yourself. You need to really know what your doing with rattle cans, my black Subie was complete and awesome! Black coupe is green underneath and red sedan was red..

BTW four door Subie has white dipped wheels as well...

Total cost per car with paper, tape and 20 cans of dip under $175

Eric (Evaded)

__________________
If I see a Zombie.. Im runnin it over with my Truck.

Very cool. I've read a lot about plasti-dip but never would have guessed painters out here in Idaho will actually be willing to use that stuff. Neat to see you in Nampa. Where did you go to get it done?

... What did you do for surface prep before putting the Plasti Dip on. ... I know with paint that everything has to be right or it is not good. ... maybe dip is a lot more forgiving prep wise. ............ I have a 2 wheel trailer I may do/experiment with ........time will tell....... thanks,kent

... p.s ...my last an only vehicle paint project I did/helped with was my GTO, in highschool shop class 30+ yrs ago, ...and a classmate with a steadier hand than me sprayed it.......time flys